Sewer and Wastewater

The City’s Water and Sewer Division is responsible for high quality water, waste water, and storm water services, to residents and businesses. Working responsibly to protect a precious resource, we comply with the Water Resources Act and the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality to supply safe, clean drinking water. As outlined in our Permits to Operate, city staff maintain the water distribution and collection systems to best practice standards. We place the highest value on public health, customer service, fiscal responsibility, workplace safety and security, asset management and regulatory compliance.

Water and Sewer Rates

If you’re planning to build a home in the city and you need water and sewer services, you should be aware of Recoverable Work Rates. These rates are charges you will pay for connection to the city water and sewer system. For more information on recoverable work rates, or for commercial and industrial rates, please contact the Community Services Division.

Wastewater Collection System and Maintenance

The city’s wastewater collection system is a vast network of underground sewers, force mains, and sewage pumping stations that collect wastewater (sewer) from homes and businesses and transport it to the city’s main or trunk sewers. The City of Corner Brook’s wastewater collection system is composed of more than 90 kilometers of collection sewers (pipes), 9 sewage pumping stations, more than 1,500 manholes, and 10 outfalls. The system services approximately 8,500 units.

Maintenance of the wastewater collection system is carried out by the City’s Water and Sewer Division. This division maintains all lift stations and manages the City’s preventative maintenance program for all items related to the collection system. Wastewater discharged from a home or business enters the sewer system through service pipes that are typically 200 millimeters (about 7 inches) in diameter or smaller. These service lines carry the wastewater to the city’s main or trunk lines consisting of pipes larger than 200 millimeters in diameter.

Sewage pumping stations (or lift stations) are integral components of any collection system. Collection systems are built to maintain the natural flow of gravity whenever possible. Because of the city’s topography, gravity flow is not always available to carry wastewater from the user to the outfall. When wastewater cannot travel through the lines by gravity, pumps are used to force the wastewater through the force mains until it can again be transported by gravity flow. The city has nine lift stations strategically located throughout the city – the lift stations are situated in areas based on topography.

Sewer Line Maintenance

The City of Corner Brook’s Water and Sewer Division has a very rigorous preventative maintenance program aimed at ensuring the wastewater collection system functions properly. Ongoing inspection and preventative maintenance is necessary to maximize system performance to prevent emergency repairs whenever possible. Despite efforts to maintain the system unforeseeable complications occur.

Some common incidents which results in problems to the system include:

using the drain to dispose of items such as grease, paper, garbage or household hazardous waste

vandalizing the system by inserting foreign materials in the system or into manholes which the system is not designed to carry

blockage of the system by trees or shrub roots that enter the system

To maintain the wastewater system and to keep it functioning properly, the Water and Sewer Division utilizes the following preventative maintenance procedures:

TV inspections

Sewer lines can be viewed by inserting a camera into the sewer line. Footage is viewed on a closed circuit television to view the condition of pipes, infiltration problems, blockage locations, etc.

Sewer Jet / Vacuum Cleaning

Sewer lines are often cleaned to remove debris or other material that enter the system. The city’s Aquatech “SewerJet” is used to clean the main line with a high pressure water hose. The collected debris is vacuumed from a manhole with the high-powered vacuum hose.